Elu (pronoun) facts for kids

The Elu system is a set of ideas created to help the Portuguese language have a way to talk about people without always saying if they are male or female. The main idea is a new set of words called neopronouns: "elu, delu, nelu, daquelu". These words are meant to be used when talking about non-binary people (whose gender identity is not only male or female). They can also be used when you don't know someone's gender, or when it's not important. The Elu system also helps talk about groups of people with different genders without just using the "generic masculine" (which means using male words for everyone). Anyone can use these ideas, no matter their own gender.

The word "elu" was designed to be easy to use. It works well when you speak, listen, write, and even when you see it. It sounds and looks similar to "ela" (she) and "ele" (he), which makes it easier to learn and use.

Why a Neuter Gender?

In Portuguese, when you talk about a group that includes both boys and girls, the rule is to use the masculine form. For example, if you have "twenty girls" (vinte meninas) and "ten boys" (dez meninos), you would say "thirty boys" (trinta meninos) for the whole group.

The Problem with Generic Masculine

Some people and groups think this rule is unfair. They believe it makes it seem like the masculine form is always the default or more important, even when there are girls or women in the group. Because of this, they have suggested new ways to form plurals that are neutral. An example is saying "thirty pals" (trinta menines) instead of "thirty boys" (trinta meninos) for a mixed group.

Other Neutral Pronouns

Another similar neopronoun in Portuguese is "ile". This "ile system" became popular around 2020. Both the "elu" and "ile" systems are alike because they use the letter ⟨-e⟩ at the end of words to make them neutral, not just for pronouns. This helps create a more inclusive way to speak.

How Words Change Gender

Most words in Portuguese change their ending depending on if they are masculine or feminine. This is called "gender inflection". For example, "menin-A" (girl) ends with ⟨-a⟩, and "menin-O" (boy) ends with ⟨-o⟩. These endings tell you the gender of the word.

However, not all words change. For instance, the word "pessoa" (person) is always feminine in Portuguese, but it can be used for anyone, no matter their gender. It doesn't have a masculine or feminine version.